Tennis-court-tape-stapling device.



w H. HOLEOMB.

TENNIS COURT TAPE STAPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 050.21. 1914.

1 1 99,79 1 Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

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"WILLIAM I-I. I-IOLCOMIB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 J. HUNTER SMITH, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

Application filed December 21, 1914. Serial No. 878,460.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, WJLLIAM H. Hon- COMB, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tennis-Court-Tape-Stapling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

In laying out tennis courts heavy canvas tape is often used to define the lines of the court. These tapes are usually secured to the ground by spikes passing through eyelets at the ends of the tape and by staples driven into the ground at intervals along the length of such tapes.

The main ob'ects of this invention are to provide an improved device for driving and pulling the staples used for holding tenniscourt tapes in place; to provide a device of this kind having improved means for supporting the staples and guiding themwhile they are being driven into the ground; to provide an improved rack arranged to support said staples 1n position to be conveni-- ently transferred to said supporting means, and to support said staples compactly in position for storage; and to provide mproved means adapted to cooperate with said supporting means for forcing the staples into the ground and having 1mproved means for use in pulling said staples and spikes from the ground.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device showing the manner in which it is operated for driving the staples. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the manner in which one of the parts of the device is used for pulling the staples. Fig. 3 is a side View of the lower end of this part. Fig. 4 1s a perspective view of the rack and chute arranged in the tray in which it 1s supported when stored away, a part of the tray being broken away and a small number only of the staples being shown on the rack, for the sake of clearness.

In the construction shown, the device comprises three members designated 1, 5 and 20 in the drawings. The member 1, which may be conveniently formed of sheet has the ends thereof bent down so that it may serve as a rack for holding the staples 4 both during the operation of driving metal,

staples and when laid on a' horizontal surface. One end, part 2, is bent at an angle of about 45 and its edges are bent over to provide opposed guideways 3 and form a chute along which staples 4 slide when they are driven into the ground. The lower edge ofthe chute has a recess 6 formed therein, the length of which is substantially equal to the width of the tape 7 over which the staples 4 are to be secured. Thus, when the chute is set with the recess 6 straddling the tape the staples 4 are guided so as to enter the ground without danger of injuring the tape.

The rack member 1 is made rigid by having its edges bent to form flanges 8 extending from the chute 2 to the hook-shaped end 9. The width of the rack is'equal to the distance between the tines of the staples 4, and shoulders 10 are provided to support the staples as shown. Therack thus serves as a magazine for the'staples 4 which, when the rack rests on the part 2 and hook 9, are supported compactly inposition for storage, and when the device is held in position for driving staples the staples are held in convenient position to be picked up singly by the operator. I

The tool member 5 is provided with a head which is formed of two plates 11 and 12 riveted together, the plate 12 being'bent around the end of the plate 11 to provide a'claw 13, and the plate 11 being extended beyond the sides of the plate 12 to provide guide flanges 14 adapted to be slid in the guideways 3. The lower end of the member 5 forms a shoulder 15 which may to advantage be fiat or slightly concave to insure proper engagement with the staples 4. A shank 16 is secured to the plate 12 and has a handle 17 by which the tool is gripped. The claw 13 is gradually tapered to a sharp edge 18, so that it may be readily inserted under the staple as shown in Fig. 2, and is also bifurcated at 19 so that it may be used for pulling the spikes used in securing the ends of the tapes.

The device is operated in the following manner: With the staples 4 on the rack 1, as shown in Fig. 1, the part 2 is held so that the recess 6 straddles the tape; lowermost staple 4 is then removedv from the rack and transferred to the chute and the member 5 inserted into the chute and pressure applied thereto so that the staple The is forced down into the ground to confine the tape 7. The member 5 is then with drawn and the chute set in the neXt place at which a staple is to be located, and the operation repeated. WVhen it is desired to take up the tapes, the claw on the member 5 is used for pulling the staples, as shown in Fig. 2. The claw is also used for pulling the spikes that are usually driven through eyelets at the ends of the tape. When the device is to be stored away it is set in the tray or housing 20, as shown in Fig. at. The staples are thus confined in an orderly manner on the rack.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a chute for guiding staples and having an operating handle, and a memher having a part slidably fitting within said chute for driving staples guided thereby, said member being also provided with an operating handle and having a claw on said part, said chute beingopen at one side to permit the passage of said claw.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a channel-shaped open-sided chute for guiding staples and having a shank at one side provided with a handle and arranged to serve as a'magazine for staples, and a member comprising a shank having an operating handle at one end and a staple driving head at its opposite end, said head being shaped to slidably fit said chute,and a claw carried by said head and positioned to correspond with the open side of said chute when said head is guided thereby.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a chute for guiding staples and having an operating handle, and a member having a part slidably fitting within Copies of this patent may be obtained for said chute for driving staples guided thereby, said member being also provided with an operating handle, said chute being provided with guide means at its lower end for centering the same with respect to a tape which is being stapled.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a chute for guiding staples and having an operating handle, and a member having a part slidably fitting within said chute for driving staples guided thereby, said member being also provided with an operating handle, the end of said chute being recessed so as to straddle a tape which is to be stapled and thereby predeterminc the position of the staple with respect to the tape.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a chute for guiding staples and having an operating handle, and a member comprising a handle and a plate carried by said handle and slidably fitting into said chute, the lower end of said plate being bent transversely to form a shoulder for engaging the staples and to form a claw for pulling the staples.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a member having the ends thereof bent to support the intermediate part of said member in a raised horizontal position, the edges of one of said ends being bent to form guideways, said intermediate part being shaped to support staples thereon for storage when said member rests on said ends and to support the staples in position to be readily transferred to said guideways when said member is held in an operating position, and a second member slidably fitting said guideways for driving the staples guided thereby.

Signed at Chicago this 18th day of December, 1914.

WM. H. HOLCOMB.

Witnesses:

EUGENE A. RUMMLER, M. IRENE HUTCHINGS.

five cents each, by addressing; the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

